This invention relates to a method of analysis and an apparatus for implementing the method. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to an analysis tool for exploring the thoughts, perceptions, knowledge and feelings of an individual.
The present invention provides an open and flexible tool having wide ranging potential applications. The present invention may find application in education, commerce, self analysis, entertainment, market research, expert systems, interviewing, designing organisational competencies, bench marking cultures, developing personnel specifications etc.
To date a variety of techniques have been used which attempt to use the underlying principles for counselling and to research areas in which counselling is required. Computer implemented systems have been produced where the results of a consultation session may be input into a computer and processed to highlight strong correlations between data (be it people, concepts, emotions, ideas etc). This approach is limited in that an experienced interviewer is required to interview the subject in order to obtain the data to be processed. Further, there is typically a single iteration of the programme run to highlight the areas in which counselling is required. The results are therefore not as refined as they would be if a number of iterations could be performed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an interactive analysis method and apparatus which enables a user to explore their thoughts, perceptions and feelings etc in a desired area without requiring input from a professional interviewer, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for analysing data comprising:
means for inputting or selecting a plurality of data elements according to user command;
means for grouping data elements into groups;
means for communicating the elements of the groups to a user;
means for inputting or selecting characteristics within and/or between data element groups according to user command;
means responsive to user command for ranking data elements in relation to selected characteristics; and
means for comparing rankings between elements and/or characteristics and for determining the elements and/or characteristics having selected degrees of correlation including means for selecting a user defined correlation threshold and displaying those elements or characteristics above or below the correlation threshold.
According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a computer controlled method of analysing data comprising:
inputting a plurality of data elements into a data processor or selecting a plurality of elements stored in memory of the data processor;
actuating the data processor to group the data elements into groups;
inputting or selecting characteristics within or between the elements;
inputting ranking information to the data processor to rank the data elements in relation to the characteristics;
processing rankings between elements and/or characteristics in the data processor to determine elements and/or characteristics having selected levels of correlation;
inputting a correlation threshold; and
displaying those elements or characteristics having a degree of correlation above or below the correlation threshold.